Celac-European Union Summit

In 2013, the Celac-European Union Summit was held in Chile where there was a meeting between Evo Morales and Piñera regarding the maritime claim of the Bolivian government.[40]​.

Economic growth and job creation

During the government of Sebastián Piñera the country grew at a rate of 5.3% annually, versus 3.3% annually during the first government of Michelle Bachelet. At the same time, the unemployment rate was reduced, from 8.1% during the period 2006-2009, to 6.9%, through the creation of 1,017,000 new jobs, with 260,000 new ventures. Inflation went from 4.5% during the period 2006-2009 to 2.4%, according to public account data provided by the then Undersecretary of Finance of Chile, commercial engineer Julio Dittborn.[41]​.

Business creation law in one day

The government's agenda carried out a trend to address the issue of competitiveness, investment and work, for which it included a list of 100 measures.[42] Among the reforms to facilitate business, the Business in One Day Law stood out, which created an electronic portal to register and approve new companies in just 24 hours. As a result, 27,000 new companies were registered under this system during the government of Sebastián Piñera, according to the then Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism, Félix de Vicente.[42]​ The facilitation achieved by this law, along with other measures, gave Chile 37th place worldwide in the ease of doing business index at the end of the government.[43]​.

Gas situation in Magallanes

The Magallanes protests of 2011 (also known as Segundo Puntarenazo) were a series of social mobilizations caused by the rise in the value of natural gas in the Chilean region of Magallanes, carried out during January 2011.

The protests, with broad citizen participation, caused a strong blow to the government of President Sebastián Piñera, who had to request the resignation of his Energy Minister in what was his first cabinet change. After a week of protests, the government agreed to reduce the increase from 16.8% to just 3% (equivalent to annual inflation) and provide extensive subsidies for lower-income families in the region.

The decision of the ENAP, which had the support of Minister Raineri, provoked a series of public demonstrations in that region since January 5, including mass mobilizations[44][45]​ and paralysis of activities in its most important cities, such as Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales.[46]​ Faced with citizen rejection, Raineri criticized this position, arguing that "the subsidy in Magallanes is a party that must end", generating greater discontent among the Magellanic people.

On January 11, the Magallanes Citizen Assembly called for an indefinite strike starting at midnight.[47] That same night, two women, Claudia Castillo Campos, 19, and Melisa Silva Ruiz, 23,[48] died when they were run over by a truck during protests in Punta Arenas.[49] During that day, more than 31 people were arrested, some while trying to loot and damage property. public.[49]​ After the first demonstrations, Carabineros de Chile ordered the sending of a contingent of Special Forces to control the strike.[50]​.

During January 12, the strike continued in the main towns of the Magallanes region, extending to the main border crossings with Argentina, which resulted in the isolation of more than two thousand vehicles that were trying to cross from the province of Tierra del Fuego "Province of Tierra del Fuego (Argentina)") towards Santa Cruz through Chilean territory. Another 1,500 tourists were left without mobilization in the Torres del Paine National Park after Magellan pickets cut off the routes to Puerto Natales and El Calafate.[51]​ Although it operated normally, the cuts on the route to the Presidente Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport forced the suspension of Sky Airline and LAN Airlines flights.[51]​[52]​.

On January 14, Minister Secretary General of the Government Ena von Baer announced changes to the cabinet following the departure of Minister Raineri and three other ministers. The Ministry of Energy was assumed by Laurence Golborne, who became bi-minister of Mining and Energy on January 16.[53] The newly assumed Minister Golborne traveled to Magallanes on January 17, where he continued negotiations with the Magallanes Citizen Assembly. That night, Golborne was cornered by a mass of protesters at a local radio station, so he had to be escorted by special forces.[54]​.

On January 18, an agreement was signed between the Government and the Assembly, which established that the increase in the price of gas would only increase by 3% during the following 10 months, and the government subsidy was redefined at the barrier of 25 thousand m³. In addition, the Government promised to deliver 18,000 subsidies to the poorest families in the region.[55]​ This allowed the end of the regional strike, which lasted for seven days.[56]​.

Wages

In the first year of Piñera's government, the real salary growth of Chilean workers reached 0.9% annually. The ordinary hourly remuneration reached $2,730.32 pesos. [57]​In 2011, real wage growth accelerated to 1.8%.[58]​In 2012, the increase in wages reached 4.7% annually, the best figure of his administration.[59]​In his last year, wage growth slowed to 2.4%.[60]​.

During his government, the Ministry of Sports "Ministerio del Deporte (Chile)") was created to promote sports activity.

The first lady, Cecilia Morel,[61]​ was in charge of the Choose Living Healthy program.

Student movement protests

The student mobilization of 2011 corresponds to a series of demonstrations carried out by Chilean university and high school students during 2011.

The first national mobilizations were called by the Confederation of Students of Chile (CONFECH), an organization that brings together the student federations of the universities that make up the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities—known as "traditional"—in mid-May 2011. The main spokespersons for the university movement have been Camila Vallejo, president of the Federation of Students of the University of Chile (FECh) and Giorgio Jackson, president of the Federation of Students from the Catholic University of Chile (FEUC). Among the demands of the movement were the following requests:

Among the demands of the university movement are:[62][63]​.

Among the points required by middle school students are:[64]​.

The mobilizations have been characterized by takeovers of schools and strikes at the country's main universities. National strikes have been carried out, which involved a series of marches nationwide where more than 100,000 people were summoned.

Automatic registration, voluntary voting and primary laws

During the government, reforms to the electoral system were proposed, consisting of abandoning the old system of mandatory suffrage with voluntary registration, given the low percentages of voter registration. Thus, automatic registration and voluntary voting were proposed as measures to modernize the system, which finally saw the light of day in 2012.[65]​.

The primary law was also established, which was about the design of pre-elections to make the candidacy process by conglomerates transparent, now being subject to the Servel, and at the same time make it transparent and available to anyone who wanted to vote, since previously only the militants of each party voted.[66] Thus, and in this regard, the then Secretary General of the Presidency, Cristián Larroulet pointed out that: "It is one of the most important initiatives of the package of political reforms promoted by the Government because It offers a way for the selection of candidates to be more competitive, participatory and transparent, generating incentives for higher quality politics."[66]​.

Law on direct election of regional councilors

Law enacted in June 2013. Combined support from the different sectors of parliament was established for the idea of ​​direct election of regional councilors, which made progress towards the decentralization and representation of the democratic process in the regions, such as citizen participation in domestic processes.[67]​.

Creation of Chile Atiende

Chile Atiende is a joint network of services, proposed as a method of modernization in the processing of citizens with public institutions, by concentrating the procedures of different instances of the State under a single infrastructure. It was also proposed with the purpose of accelerating these procedures through digitalization, as Sebastián Piñera later expressed when referring to Chile Atiende: "We want that in 2022, 80% of the procedures that a citizen has to do with the State can be done from their cell phone in a single application, reaching 100% by 2025. To this end, it will be established that the State cannot require any document that is included among its records and a platform for smartphones will be created that will allow, within a period of eight years, to carry out all the procedures of the different public entities virtually. "[68]​.

Creation of ethical family income

During the Piñera government, the creation of the Ethical Family Income (IEF) was approved,[69]​ "a benefit granted by the State as direct support to people and families with lower incomes, to favor the most vulnerable people with the aim of overcoming extreme poverty".[70]​ The Ethical Family Income focused on the 170 thousand families in extreme poverty that lived in Chile.[69]​ Under this structure a series of bonuses were organized, first by condition, such as the family base bonus and the protection bonus; and additionally bonuses for improvement incentives, such as the healthy child control bonus, the school attendance bonus, the school achievement bonus,[71]​ and the women's work bonus.[72]​.

Six-month postnatal law

After a discussion of a year and a half, on October 6, 2011, the postnatal law was approved, which extended this benefit from three to six months.[73]​ Ximena Rincón (DC), then representative of the Senate Labor Commission, said: "Fundamentally, the project extends the postnatal period by three months, allowing fathers to also be part of this story and for women not to lose any rights. It is a transcendent agreement".[73]​.

Elimination of the 7% contribution charge for retirees

It was one of the government's first measures. The initiative benefited 700,000 pensioners who had a monthly income of less than 255 thousand Chilean pesos, and who previously had to limit themselves to paying this percentage for health. Those who were exempt from the benefit, but who received a monthly sum of less than 286 thousand pesos, managed to have a 5% discount.[74]​.

Civil Union Law

Regarding the protection of the rights of sexual minorities, on August 9, 2011, a bill was sent to the National Congress for the first time in the history of Chile by the Executive, to create the Coupled Life Agreement (AVP), a legal figure that sought to recognize both heterosexual and homosexual couples, but with a more restrictive differentiation than marriage.[75] Said bill took 44 months to be approved and after a series of modifications by the Legislature, it was promulgated in April. of 2015.

During the first government of Sebastián Piñera, an increase in Colombian immigration was recorded in the northern city of Antofagasta.[76][77]​.

On Saturday, October 19, 2013[78]​ a demonstration against mass immigration[79]​[80]​ was called in Plaza Sotomayor in Antofagasta. The initiative arose after the serious clashes between Chileans and Colombians in the center of the city after the match between the teams of both countries in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, leaving out the foreign team.[81]​ The demonstration was not authorized by the authorities who sent Carabineros to prevent it from taking place.[82]​ Until then there were 15 thousand Colombians in Antofagasta.[83]​.

Organizations such as Amnesty International and Citizen Global") called for Chile to have an open border policy regarding mass immigration.[84][85]​.

The government of Colombia chaired by Juan Manuel Santos expressed its "concern about the physical and virtual confrontations between citizens of both countries" and called for "tolerance so that messages that incite violence are not promoted."[82]​.

In the initial months of government, and until November 2010, their popularity levels (measured by the monthly Adimark survey) remained greater than or equal to 50%, with the exception of July when it fell to 49%, reaching a disapproval of 40%, much higher than the 17% with which they began the mandate. Its peak of 63% approval occurred in the month of October, as a result of the rescue of the miners trapped by the collapse of the San José mine.

From December 2010 onwards, its approval level remained below 50%, reaching a historic low of 25% approval in August 2011, marked by the Student Mobilization in Chile in 2011, as well as a rejection of 70%, becoming, at that time, the Government with the highest disapproval since the return to Democracy "Transition to Democracy (Chile)").[86] Since May 2011 its approval levels Disapproval did not drop below 50% until the end of 2013.[87] Finally, his approval at the end of his term reached 50%, while his disapproval dropped to 36%.[88]​.

Celac-European Union Summit

In 2013, the Celac-European Union Summit was held in Chile where there was a meeting between Evo Morales and Piñera regarding the maritime claim of the Bolivian government.[40]​.

Economic growth and job creation

During the government of Sebastián Piñera the country grew at a rate of 5.3% annually, versus 3.3% annually during the first government of Michelle Bachelet. At the same time, the unemployment rate was reduced, from 8.1% during the period 2006-2009, to 6.9%, through the creation of 1,017,000 new jobs, with 260,000 new ventures. Inflation went from 4.5% during the period 2006-2009 to 2.4%, according to public account data provided by the then Undersecretary of Finance of Chile, commercial engineer Julio Dittborn.[41]​.

Business creation law in one day

The government's agenda carried out a trend to address the issue of competitiveness, investment and work, for which it included a list of 100 measures.[42] Among the reforms to facilitate business, the Business in One Day Law stood out, which created an electronic portal to register and approve new companies in just 24 hours. As a result, 27,000 new companies were registered under this system during the government of Sebastián Piñera, according to the then Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism, Félix de Vicente.[42]​ The facilitation achieved by this law, along with other measures, gave Chile 37th place worldwide in the ease of doing business index at the end of the government.[43]​.

Gas situation in Magallanes

The Magallanes protests of 2011 (also known as Segundo Puntarenazo) were a series of social mobilizations caused by the rise in the value of natural gas in the Chilean region of Magallanes, carried out during January 2011.

The protests, with broad citizen participation, caused a strong blow to the government of President Sebastián Piñera, who had to request the resignation of his Energy Minister in what was his first cabinet change. After a week of protests, the government agreed to reduce the increase from 16.8% to just 3% (equivalent to annual inflation) and provide extensive subsidies for lower-income families in the region.

The decision of the ENAP, which had the support of Minister Raineri, provoked a series of public demonstrations in that region since January 5, including mass mobilizations[44][45]​ and paralysis of activities in its most important cities, such as Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales.[46]​ Faced with citizen rejection, Raineri criticized this position, arguing that "the subsidy in Magallanes is a party that must end", generating greater discontent among the Magellanic people.

On January 11, the Magallanes Citizen Assembly called for an indefinite strike starting at midnight.[47] That same night, two women, Claudia Castillo Campos, 19, and Melisa Silva Ruiz, 23,[48] died when they were run over by a truck during protests in Punta Arenas.[49] During that day, more than 31 people were arrested, some while trying to loot and damage property. public.[49]​ After the first demonstrations, Carabineros de Chile ordered the sending of a contingent of Special Forces to control the strike.[50]​.

During January 12, the strike continued in the main towns of the Magallanes region, extending to the main border crossings with Argentina, which resulted in the isolation of more than two thousand vehicles that were trying to cross from the province of Tierra del Fuego "Province of Tierra del Fuego (Argentina)") towards Santa Cruz through Chilean territory. Another 1,500 tourists were left without mobilization in the Torres del Paine National Park after Magellan pickets cut off the routes to Puerto Natales and El Calafate.[51]​ Although it operated normally, the cuts on the route to the Presidente Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport forced the suspension of Sky Airline and LAN Airlines flights.[51]​[52]​.

On January 14, Minister Secretary General of the Government Ena von Baer announced changes to the cabinet following the departure of Minister Raineri and three other ministers. The Ministry of Energy was assumed by Laurence Golborne, who became bi-minister of Mining and Energy on January 16.[53] The newly assumed Minister Golborne traveled to Magallanes on January 17, where he continued negotiations with the Magallanes Citizen Assembly. That night, Golborne was cornered by a mass of protesters at a local radio station, so he had to be escorted by special forces.[54]​.

On January 18, an agreement was signed between the Government and the Assembly, which established that the increase in the price of gas would only increase by 3% during the following 10 months, and the government subsidy was redefined at the barrier of 25 thousand m³. In addition, the Government promised to deliver 18,000 subsidies to the poorest families in the region.[55]​ This allowed the end of the regional strike, which lasted for seven days.[56]​.

Wages

In the first year of Piñera's government, the real salary growth of Chilean workers reached 0.9% annually. The ordinary hourly remuneration reached $2,730.32 pesos. [57]​In 2011, real wage growth accelerated to 1.8%.[58]​In 2012, the increase in wages reached 4.7% annually, the best figure of his administration.[59]​In his last year, wage growth slowed to 2.4%.[60]​.

During his government, the Ministry of Sports "Ministerio del Deporte (Chile)") was created to promote sports activity.

The first lady, Cecilia Morel,[61]​ was in charge of the Choose Living Healthy program.

Student movement protests

The student mobilization of 2011 corresponds to a series of demonstrations carried out by Chilean university and high school students during 2011.

The first national mobilizations were called by the Confederation of Students of Chile (CONFECH), an organization that brings together the student federations of the universities that make up the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities—known as "traditional"—in mid-May 2011. The main spokespersons for the university movement have been Camila Vallejo, president of the Federation of Students of the University of Chile (FECh) and Giorgio Jackson, president of the Federation of Students from the Catholic University of Chile (FEUC). Among the demands of the movement were the following requests:

Among the demands of the university movement are:[62][63]​.

Among the points required by middle school students are:[64]​.

The mobilizations have been characterized by takeovers of schools and strikes at the country's main universities. National strikes have been carried out, which involved a series of marches nationwide where more than 100,000 people were summoned.

Automatic registration, voluntary voting and primary laws

During the government, reforms to the electoral system were proposed, consisting of abandoning the old system of mandatory suffrage with voluntary registration, given the low percentages of voter registration. Thus, automatic registration and voluntary voting were proposed as measures to modernize the system, which finally saw the light of day in 2012.[65]​.

The primary law was also established, which was about the design of pre-elections to make the candidacy process by conglomerates transparent, now being subject to the Servel, and at the same time make it transparent and available to anyone who wanted to vote, since previously only the militants of each party voted.[66] Thus, and in this regard, the then Secretary General of the Presidency, Cristián Larroulet pointed out that: "It is one of the most important initiatives of the package of political reforms promoted by the Government because It offers a way for the selection of candidates to be more competitive, participatory and transparent, generating incentives for higher quality politics."[66]​.

Law on direct election of regional councilors

Law enacted in June 2013. Combined support from the different sectors of parliament was established for the idea of ​​direct election of regional councilors, which made progress towards the decentralization and representation of the democratic process in the regions, such as citizen participation in domestic processes.[67]​.

Creation of Chile Atiende

Chile Atiende is a joint network of services, proposed as a method of modernization in the processing of citizens with public institutions, by concentrating the procedures of different instances of the State under a single infrastructure. It was also proposed with the purpose of accelerating these procedures through digitalization, as Sebastián Piñera later expressed when referring to Chile Atiende: "We want that in 2022, 80% of the procedures that a citizen has to do with the State can be done from their cell phone in a single application, reaching 100% by 2025. To this end, it will be established that the State cannot require any document that is included among its records and a platform for smartphones will be created that will allow, within a period of eight years, to carry out all the procedures of the different public entities virtually. "[68]​.

Creation of ethical family income

During the Piñera government, the creation of the Ethical Family Income (IEF) was approved,[69]​ "a benefit granted by the State as direct support to people and families with lower incomes, to favor the most vulnerable people with the aim of overcoming extreme poverty".[70]​ The Ethical Family Income focused on the 170 thousand families in extreme poverty that lived in Chile.[69]​ Under this structure a series of bonuses were organized, first by condition, such as the family base bonus and the protection bonus; and additionally bonuses for improvement incentives, such as the healthy child control bonus, the school attendance bonus, the school achievement bonus,[71]​ and the women's work bonus.[72]​.

Six-month postnatal law

After a discussion of a year and a half, on October 6, 2011, the postnatal law was approved, which extended this benefit from three to six months.[73]​ Ximena Rincón (DC), then representative of the Senate Labor Commission, said: "Fundamentally, the project extends the postnatal period by three months, allowing fathers to also be part of this story and for women not to lose any rights. It is a transcendent agreement".[73]​.

Elimination of the 7% contribution charge for retirees

It was one of the government's first measures. The initiative benefited 700,000 pensioners who had a monthly income of less than 255 thousand Chilean pesos, and who previously had to limit themselves to paying this percentage for health. Those who were exempt from the benefit, but who received a monthly sum of less than 286 thousand pesos, managed to have a 5% discount.[74]​.

Civil Union Law

Regarding the protection of the rights of sexual minorities, on August 9, 2011, a bill was sent to the National Congress for the first time in the history of Chile by the Executive, to create the Coupled Life Agreement (AVP), a legal figure that sought to recognize both heterosexual and homosexual couples, but with a more restrictive differentiation than marriage.[75] Said bill took 44 months to be approved and after a series of modifications by the Legislature, it was promulgated in April. of 2015.

During the first government of Sebastián Piñera, an increase in Colombian immigration was recorded in the northern city of Antofagasta.[76][77]​.

On Saturday, October 19, 2013[78]​ a demonstration against mass immigration[79]​[80]​ was called in Plaza Sotomayor in Antofagasta. The initiative arose after the serious clashes between Chileans and Colombians in the center of the city after the match between the teams of both countries in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, leaving out the foreign team.[81]​ The demonstration was not authorized by the authorities who sent Carabineros to prevent it from taking place.[82]​ Until then there were 15 thousand Colombians in Antofagasta.[83]​.

Organizations such as Amnesty International and Citizen Global") called for Chile to have an open border policy regarding mass immigration.[84][85]​.

The government of Colombia chaired by Juan Manuel Santos expressed its "concern about the physical and virtual confrontations between citizens of both countries" and called for "tolerance so that messages that incite violence are not promoted."[82]​.

In the initial months of government, and until November 2010, their popularity levels (measured by the monthly Adimark survey) remained greater than or equal to 50%, with the exception of July when it fell to 49%, reaching a disapproval of 40%, much higher than the 17% with which they began the mandate. Its peak of 63% approval occurred in the month of October, as a result of the rescue of the miners trapped by the collapse of the San José mine.

From December 2010 onwards, its approval level remained below 50%, reaching a historic low of 25% approval in August 2011, marked by the Student Mobilization in Chile in 2011, as well as a rejection of 70%, becoming, at that time, the Government with the highest disapproval since the return to Democracy "Transition to Democracy (Chile)").[86] Since May 2011 its approval levels Disapproval did not drop below 50% until the end of 2013.[87] Finally, his approval at the end of his term reached 50%, while his disapproval dropped to 36%.[88]​.